Showcase Event Highlights Impact of Young Women in Coding

Mission Hills High School junior Mitra Zarinebaf is like a lot of her friends. When it comes to using the latest technological gadgets, she was a pro. When it comes to understanding the technology behind those gadgets, not so much.

Until now. Thanks to a three-year, Cal State San Marcos-led effort funded through a National Science Foundation grant, Mitra and nearly 60 other North County high school girls are learning the ins and outs of computer coding as part of a larger effort to increase the number of women motivated to pursue careers in the field of information communication technology. The grant’s second year culminates with an April 28 showcase at Rancho Bueno Vista High School, where participants – who belong to what they affectionately refer to as the CodeQueens Club – will talk about their projects, detail the technology involved, and answer questions from judges.

“We’ve learned so much over the past year, it’s going to be exciting to show how far we’ve come,” said Mitra, who was part of a team that created an educational game app addressing environmental issues. “We’ve worked so hard as a team and have been so determined to develop this app. We’re really looking forward to it.”

Presentations at the April 28 showcase are scheduled to begin 1:30 p.m. at the Rancho Buena Vista High School Performing Art Center, 1601 Longhorn Drive in Vista, 92081. Awards will be announced at 3:15 p.m. CodeQueens from Rancho Buena Vista High, Mission Hills High, San Marcos High, San Pasqual High, and Oceanside High schools will be there with family and friends.

“Most of these girls had no coding experience and knew next to nothing about computer science before they became involved with this program,” said Dr. Anna Woodcock, research faculty at the CSUSM Psychology Department who is a co-principal investigator for the grant officially known as “Inspiring Commitment for STEM Career Paths through Extended Women’s Hackathons.” Dr. Youwen Ouyang, who chairs CSUSM’s Computer Science and Information Systems Department, is the principal investigator on the project and Dr. Moses Ochanji, an associate professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Services’ School of Education, is a co-principal investigator on the grant.